HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Former Congressman Parker Griffith, whose 2009 party switch rankled both Democratic and Republican voters, may be attempting a political comeback as an independent candidate.

A friend of Griffith's was recently spotted at Blue Plate Cafe circulating a petition to get Griffith on the ballot as an independent against 5th District U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville. AL.com obtained a copy of the petition Wednesday afternoon but has been unable to reach Griffith for comment.

To qualify for ballot access under Alabama law, independent candidates for Congress must collect signatures from at least 3 percent of the registered voters in the congressional district who cast a ballot in the most recent governor's race.

A cancer doctor turned businessman, Griffith was elected to Congress as a Democrat in November 2008 but switched to the Republican Party barely a year into his freshman term. Explaining his decision, Griffith said there appeared to be no place in the national Democratic Party for a "pro-business, pro-life, pro-Second Amendment" congressman such as himself, so he was aligning with a party that is "more in tune with my beliefs and convictions."

But GOP voters never embraced Griffith as one of their own: He lost his bid for re-election in 2010, finishing more than 12,000 votes behind then-Madison County Commissioner Mo Brooks in the Republican primary.

View full sizeA copy of the petition for ballot access being circulated by supporters of Parker Griffith. (Steve Doyle | sdoyle@al.com)

"I do not regret changing parties, (but) I think politically it may have been a mistake," Griffith said the morning after his defeat. "On principle, it was the right thing to do, and I'm happy about it."

Earlier this month, Griffith told WHNT that he now considers himself an independent. "I've been on both parties, I've seen them up close and personal," he said. "Neither one of them are worth a damn. I'm an independent."

Independent and third-party candidates have had limited success in Alabama, and the 3 percent signature requirement is one of the highest thresholds in the nation. According to the Secretary of State's office, Griffith would have to collect signatures from at least 6,858 voters who live in the 5th Congressional District and cast a ballot for governor in the 2010 general election.